Viva la [design] Difference!

 During my recent visit to New York, I spent a lot of time just looking about. One of the things that was so evident is how much more specialization a place can offer when there is a large populous. In the Midwest, or other places of less dense population, there is the same spectrum of tastes for aesthetics and invention, but businesses and entertainment venues that cater to the ends of the spectrum can be scarce because the numbers to support them are small.

My last post addressed this from the "abundance" side, but it also applies to the design side.The hotel I stayed in was the Pod Hotel. It caters to the more independent trendier traveler who appreciates good design, but also is frugal! Right down the street was the Waldorf Astoria, with a very different aesthetic and function.

I found them both to be great examples of wonderful design for a specific part of the aesthetic spectrum. They are examples of businesses that need a customer base who looks for the specificity they offer. The Marriots and Hampton Inns can survive most anywhere because, while they may not have anything that would make them unique, they do provide an aesthetic and service that is both functional and useful to a huge number of people, but only in the dense population centers will you find the Pod - where people are still willing to share a bath and have small spaces in exchange for contemporary design and a global feel or the Waldorf Astoria, where opulent exclusivity reigns.

This same can be true for so many things, fashion, entertainment, food, etc etc... You guys in the city have such a great choice... but, as my husband said, you have to share it with about a million other people! One day I saw Bon Jovi playing (Today Show) on the Rockefeller plaza and that evening heard a Requiem concert in a cathedreal, more ends of the spectrum!

Loved my visit, but sure am enjoying the quiet and the landscape today! And for my abundance and specificity there is always the internet and Travelocity! "I'll be back".